Volume 01: Production and resources of the northern and western districts of New South Wales, 1854 [ca. 1850-1857] - Page 269
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262
116 Runs Overstocked During Dry & Parched Seasons
to leave their habitations encamping in tents.
The failure of early occupied grazing country during dry and parched seasons, has been particularly felt in the Cattle grazing districts, situated in the low country to the westward of the great northern Cordillera, while on the main or Sea Coast ranges, the runs of the settlers during these seasons have suffered lots. The Cattle runs are what may [may] be termed large, considering the number of Cattle grazing on them, but when we consider the nature of the climate, combined with the occasional dry & parched, interveening [intervening] the drooping seasons, without any attempt to improve other sheep or Cattle runs, by sowing fresh grass seeds, nor rest to allows the runs time to seed themselves, we need not be suspicious at deterioration of the runs, the effects of the seasons upon the pasture nor at the fatal effects upon the stock.
The distribution of live stock throughout the various Districts of New South Wales on the 1st of January 1854 is shown by the following table
Estimated Average Rate of Increase of Sheep Ten Per Cent
Horses | Horned Cattle | Sheep | |
Albert | 271 | 1,357 | 49,733 |
Bligh | 2,126 | 75,839 | 248,776 |
Burnett | 1,260 | 20,200 | 590,000 |
Clarence River | 2,234 | 117,389 | 119,263 |
Darling Downs | 2,933 | 59,385 | 906,601 |
Groyder | 2,606 | 136,788 | 196,366 |
Laukland | 4,435 | 92,970 | 300,961 |
Liverpool Plains | 4,209 | 82,878 | 478,263 |
Lower Darling | 300 | 22,485 | 120,000 |
McLeay River | 1,289 | 16,633 | 130 |
Maveroo | 5,209 | 90,630 | 413,933 |
Maranova | 457 | 21,155 | 13,500 |
Morston | 1,248 | 29,049 | 376,795 |
Murrumbidgie | 6,325 | 135,360 | 670,840 |
New England | 5,628 | 104,054 | 1,020,444 |
Wellington | 2,570 | 70,160 | 314,600 |
Wide Bay | 294 | 7,504 | 68,702 |